May, 2019 | Postcards From Here and There

Three Places for Craft Beer in Berlin

Berlin is a big city. With a population of over 3.5 million there are plenty of bars serving a wide range of beers from all over the world. In that sense this post is only the tip of the iceberg, these are three places I have been and particularly enjoyed and would heartily recommend to anyone who has an interest in great beer.

Muted Horn.

This is a great little bar in the district of Neukölln which is well worth searching out. Serving 22 beers on tap, both local and international, and an even larger selection of bottles there is something for everyone here and its easy to see why it is so popular with craft beer enthusiasts.

There is plenty of seating and even a small area outside. There’s a nice relaxed atmosphere here and you can easily while away an hour or so without much effort. Although they don’t serve food they don’t mind if you bring your own and you can even send out for a delivery.

Muted Horn, Flughafen straße 49.

U8 Boddinstraße is the nearest U-Bahn station a mere couple of minutes walk away.

Monday-Thursday 17.00-0200. Friday 17.00-03.00. Saturday 15.00-03.00. Sunday 15.00-02.00

Beereau.

A small but cosy bar located just off Friedrichstraße in Mitte. It may only be small but it is wonderful place to stop off for an early evening beer. There are a small number of beers on tap and a good selection in the fridges. The place is quite relaxed with a good selection of beer related books.

Beereau, Claire Waldorf Straße 4.

U6 Oranienburger Tor is the nearest U-Bahn station.

Tuesday-Thursday 14.00-22.00, Friday 14.00-00.00, Saturday 14.00-19.00

Mikkelller

The Danish brewery Mikkeller is regarded as one of the best in the world and has bars in several major cities around the world. The bar in Mitte is small with seating arranged into three areas plus tables outside for when the weather permits. The decor has a very Scandinavian feel and creates a relaxed and calming environment, ideal for drinking a beer or two!.

There are twenty four beers available on tap. Most are Mikkeller’s own brews but there are also a number of guest beers. Staff are approachable, helpful and knowledgable so navigating the menu if you are unsure is not a problem. Servings are available in two sizes, 40cl and 80cl.

Mikkeller,Torstraße 102.

U8 Rosenthaler Platz is the nearest U-Bahn station.

Sunday-Thursday 15.00-00.00, Friday-Saturday 15.00=02.00

Real Wine Fair

The Real Wine Fair was held at London’s Tobacco Dock on the 12/13th May. The fair champions small, independent producers who produce wine that is a pure expression of time and place, made with minimum intervention both in the vineyard and winery. While there is no definition of real wine many of the wines on show are produced organically without the addition of any chemicals except perhaps for a tiny amount of sulphur in some cases.

Tobacco dock is a grade I listed building in East End of London and is a perfect venue. It is bright, with plenty of space for exhibitors and visitors alike. Having said that I visited on the Sunday and while it was relatively quiet in the morning it did get very busy by mid afternoon. The fair also features a number of artisan food producers and street food stalls so there is something for when you just need to take a little time out.

There was something around 178 producers from 21 different countries so choices most certainly had to be made for a successful visit. I concentrated mainly, but not exclusively, on wines from the New World and the notes that follow were some of the wines that I particularly enjoyed.

Rainbow Juice. Gentle Folk. 2018. Adelaide Hills. Australia. Gareth and rainbow Belton have been making wine under the Gentle Folk table since 2012 in the hills east of Adelaide. Rainbow juice is a blend of 23 varieties of both red and white grapes. This is what summer drinking is all about. Light, juicy with delicious red berries on the palate. An easy drinking wine which is just a little bit serious. Lovely stuff. All the wines on show were very good and I aLSO Particularly liked the 2018 Tiersman Syrah which was full of dark berry fruit, peppery with a touch of savoury spice.

Ada Chardonnay. Patrick Sullivan 2018. Yarra Valley. Australia. From grapes grown on volcanic soils at a higher elevation than his Baw Baw Chardonnay this is richer, well balanced and with lovely texture.

Coquelicot Cabernet Franc. Lo-Fi Wines. 2017. Santa Barbara County. USA. Two lifelong friends making wines with a philosophy of “nothing added, nothing removed”. The grapes were grown organically and were wild fermented whole bunch for 12 days before pressing to tank. Aged for 10 months in neutral oak. This has produce a fruit driven, super juicy and well balanced wine full of Californian sun. If you love vinyl records you’ll love the labels too.

Hughes Hollow Pinot Noir. Bow & Arrow. 2015. Oregon.USA. Scott Frank produces makes wines from the Willamette Valley in the Pacific Northwest. Specialising in Loire Valley varietals he produces a great range of wines including an excellent Johan Vineyard Melon Blanc. For me however it was the point noir which was the star of the show. A lovely nose of savoury red fruit with a gentle touch of perfume. The palate is well balanced and very inviting. Drinking very well. This plot of pinot was included. as part of a deal to buy Gamay grapes, it has turned out to be a rather good deal.

Riesling Off The Grid. Ovum Wines. 2017. Oregon.USA. Grapes from a single vineyard in southwest Oregon underwent a wild fermentation in concrete egg. This is wonderful stuff; limes, petrol, floral with a touch of honey and lovely balance. The finish is incredibly long and lingering.

El Bandito “Monkey Gone to Heaven”. Testalonga. 2018. Swartland. South Africa. 100% Mouvedre. Deep rose in colour, medium bodied,dark berry fruits, perfumed and with grippy tannins. Very nice.

Coef. Sebastien David. 2016.Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil. Loire. France. Fermented in amphora this is lovely stuff indeed. An intense nose of berry fruits . Earthy with a touch of peppery spice. A wine of real character. I also enjoyed the 2018 Hurluerlu that was on tasting.

Friedrichshain Street Art

There is so much art on view in Friedrichshain that this post in no ways represents a comprehensive list. It is merely some of the art that I came across in my two recent trips to the area. They are the pieces that caught my interest at the time. Where possible I have quoted locations or approximate locations, the problem with wandering round an area is that I don’t always record notes of where I was when I saw a particular piece.